Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-09
ALHAMBRA.
Beautiful Settlement
and It's Prospects.
A THRIVING TOWN STARTED.
The Charms of Alhambra-A Sub
urban Settlement Which Prom
ises to Rival Pasadena.

The San Gabriel Valley, few miles
distant from Los Angeles, is prolific in
beautiful towns aud thriving settlements
It is here that Pasadena, the "Crown oi
the Valley has grown up. from the in.
significant hamlet of few years ago to
the thriving city of 5000 inhabitants
with banks, newspapers, street cars,
palatial hotels and all the other features
of modern civilization. Adjoining Pasa.
dena, and iu an equally lovely situation
in the valley is the settlement of Alham.
bra. which seems destined to attain rap.
idly large share of commercial import.
ance. For the past ten years the orig
inal Alhambra and Alhambra addition
tracts have boen under cultivation.
They were subdivided originally into
lots of from five to thirty acres and set
tied upon by enterprising people who
speedily created a little paradise for
homes. They planted orange groves,
vineyards and orchards Of declduous
fruies, all of which thrive in the semi
tropical sunshine, and no more charm.
ing spot can be found anywhere. The
water supply comes from Kewen cahon
and is abundant for all purposes. 1t is
of the purest quality, and the reservoirs
scattered here and there over the tract,
with a fountain in the center OF each
throwing up the crystal fluid, add much
to the atiractiveness of the scenery.
Eastern visitors to this charming suburb
never weary Of praising it's beauty. The
scenery comprises a view OF the mag.
nifcsnt valley with its thousands of
fragrant orange groves and beautiful
home places surrounded by flower gar.
dens and the almost endless variety of
fruit trees, flowers and vines, which
thrive in sunny Southern California.
The mountains with their snow.crowned
heads complete the picture, and no one
can imagine anything more beautiful
than the Wow from any part of this
charming settlement.
Something over year ago the nucleus
of the business center at Alhambra was
started by the erection of large store,
the opening of a postoffics and the sale
of number of villa lots. The expert
ment proved surprising success and it
was clearly demon trated that, with a
little of the enterprise shown by other
localities, Alhambra would soon enjoy
share of the Improvements which her
more ambitious sisters had already
attained. Soon afterwards Messrs
A. f. Pomeroy and Charles M.
Stimson and G. w. Stimson purchased
thirty acres of land in the central
portion of the settlement and subdi.
vided il into villa lots. This was fol-
lowed by the organization of the AL.
hambra Hotel and improvement Com
pany with A. E. Pomeroy, Geo. w.
Stimson, j. G. Ogilvie of Los Angeles,
and f. O Story, DR.. w. r. Jones, G. r.
Adams, A. C.. Weeks, w. H. White.
more. and Col. E. L. May yberry of Al.
hambra, as directors. The town site
has been well lait out. Washington
Irving's charming description of the ro'
mantle Alhambra of old Spain undoubt.
edly suggested the name of the settle
ment, and following out the idea, the
streets and avenues have been given
Moorish titles. such as Granada, Vega,
Alhambra, Ahnawser and Boabdil.
A new hotel is to be erected immedi-
ately to be called "The Alhambra. 1t
will conform to the Moorish Idea Of
the town in the style of its architecture
and general appearance. 1t Is to be
three stories in height and 72xl25 feet
in dimensions and will front the Boab-
dill street and Garfield avenue. The
main entrance to the hotel will be on
Boabdil street, and over this will be a
large central gable, opening out on an
eight foot balcony extending along the
entire front. Above the first floor the
front will be covered on the outside
with stamp and pebble dashed plaster,
while the recess surface will be shingled.
A six-foot projecting balcony supported
by eloberate carved brackets, will ex.
tend along Garfield avenue front of the
building. Five bay.windows, which
will be carried up into the third story,
and constituting donors, open on this
balcony, and the extreme end OF the
Garfield avenue elevation will be empha-
sized by two large Moorish arches over
the street entrance to the dining hail.
From Boabdil street main hall, 20x60
feet will lead to the dining hall. Ga
the ground flour, in an adjourning |
apartment, bank to be called the AL
hambra Bank, will be started by Mr..
Goff. In the building there will also be
two large store rooms. Fronting Boabadil |
street will be the hotel billiard parlors
and reading rooms opening directly into |
the hotel office.
The ladies' entrance to the hotel par
lors, which will be on the second floor.
will be separated from the main entrance
after the most approved modern hotel
style, and the lobby, or hotel office, will
be finished in curly redwood, and be
model of neatness and elegance. A
dome covered stairway will lead from
the off 80 to the upper floors. and plate.
glass doors will separate the office from
q dining hall 2Ox60 feet in size. On the
second floor will be two large parlors
with bay windows, old fashioned fire.
PLACES, and so on. The ladies' parlor
will be partly formed by the corner
tower. which will be one of the most
prominent features of the building. 1t
will be sixteen feet in diameter and
seventy five feet in height from base TO
the tip of the gilded crescent, the Mos.
lem emblem by which it will be sur
mounted. The cupola of the tower,
which will be finished up with bullseye
mirrors and all that sort OF thing, will
have an observatory, said to be the
highest in the San Gabriel valley. The
whole number of guest rooms will be
about fifty, running in suites, every
room having it's bay window and fire,
place. The hotel is to be fitted up with
elect, call-bells and all modern con-
veni' Bes.
50 kal more business blocks will
shol be started and number of cot
tagf hre to be erected. The recent
sal Of real estate at Alhambra have
pro d very successful and the boom has
be fairly inaugurated at the pretty
Iii settlement. A street railway is
nj being built up Garfield avenue from
ii Southern Pacific depot through the
heart of Alhambra to the Raymond Ho